Twitter Guidelines

Twitter is a microblogging site that allows users to exchange messages, “tweets,” that are 140 characters or less. This communication tool is great for business schools to communicate and share relevant and timely information quickly and further establish a sense of community.

The key uses of Twitter include:

Customer communication. Through the use of programs such as Hootsuite and Twitjump you can see what people are saying about you. Twitter is a tool that has the ability to feed other social tools and reach multiple audiences with the same work effort.

Brand exposure. Promotes the brand and provides unique opportunities to highlight your site and offerings in a viral way (e.g., contests).

Allow people and organizations to follow you. Promotes loyalty and affiliation with the college/program.

Before starting a Twitter account, you’ll need to:

Establish a clear role and goals for your account.

This will help you determine what your group should tweet. Determine if the college's main Twitter account or another official Twitter account will accommodate your goal.

Identify at least two administrators.

FCOB requires two staff and/or faculty administrators for all official FCOB Twitter accounts. If an administrator leaves FCOB for any reason, that administrator is required to find a replacement and contact the Office of External Relations.

Name your Twitter account.

Think first about the searchability of your name and pick something obvious. Twitter requires that accounts be 15 characters or less. Here are some suggestions: FisherOSU_MBA or FisherCareerMgt. Include "FisherOSU" in the name to build credibility, but that may not be possible and have a recognizable name within 15 characters. It is possible to change account name, but this will also alter the account URL.

Choose a Twitter photo (avatar) and account theme.

The Twitter photo appears on your page and on your tweets. Consult with the Office of External Relations to have a profile photo/graphic created and help with applying the proper color codes to the account.

Are content creation pipelines and procedures established?

In order to sustain a Twitter presence, content must be fed to the account. Text, photos, videos, and audio creation processes must be determined before proceeding.

Use the guidelines and chart below to understand your fans and tweets:

Keep your tweets short.

Tweets are a maximum of 140 characters. So, be fast and use shorthand if necessary.

Tweet often.

Tweets should be made regularly. The industry standard is one to two times a weekday. Answer the question, "What has my attention?" If you do not have enough information to tweet that often, reconsider your social media choice. Also, remember to use University time wisely. Do not let the unit's Twitter account interfere with daily responsibilities.

Include URLs with more information.

Provide your followers with tweets that direct them to find more information. Twitter has a built in feature to shorten links, allowing you to utilize more of the space for your tweet. Sending people to a URL will allow you to share more information. Use "short URL" tools like bit.ly, ow.ly, su.pr, or tinyurl.com. Always test links before tweeting.

Tweet photos.

There may be times when you want to tweet a photo. This can be done using a service such as twitpic.com or utilizing FCOB's webserver or Flickr accounts.

Maintain a professional voice.

Always write tweets that uphold the best interests of FCOB. Even though tweets are short, they must be accurate and spelled and punctuated properly. FCOB is an educational institution, and even informal communication that has errors makes us seem less credible. Establish a personality and voice with the account that mirrors the brand of the program, and tweet more than just Fisher-generated content. Re-tweet content from others related to Fisher or the program area.

Refrain from political statements and affiliations.

This includes unofficial sponsorships, promotions, and endorsements of entities and products.

NEVER disclose non-public information about FCOB.

Never tweet any copyrighted or other intellectual property rights of others.

This pertains to all copyrighted material, including (but not limited to) text, music, video, and software.

Do not use Twitter for any illegal activity

Or any other activity that does not represent FCOB's best interests.

Refrain from behavior that interferes with the rights of others and the duties of FCOB.

Do not use profane, obscene, or abusive language, including racial or ethnic epithets.

Do not harass users

With deliberate, repeated behavior that is intimidating, hostile, offensive, or adversely impacts FCOB social media users.

Contact the Office of External Relations with questions.

TWEETER

WHAT TO TWEET

WHO’S FOLLOWING

Departments & Research CentersUse page to promote events and news, share thoughts, and connect with members and industry professionals.

* These areas are usually treated as one as part of the college's central and primary Twitter account representing the college as a whole. The Office of External Relations is the lead with other units contributing content.

Individual units will work out basic processes as part of the process to implement the social media tool. It is strongly encouraged that additional processes and responsibilities are documented within the unit for communicating content and with regard to how posting and moderating decisions are made.